Marco Figueroa
Food Service Worker / Yeshiva University / New York, NY
For Marco Figueroa, the computer he won in 1199SEIU’s computer giveaway program couldn’t have come at a better time.
“It’s just big in my life, a dream come true,” says Figueroa, a 14-year food service worker at Yeshiva University in Manhattan.
Figueroa, 38, is in his second semester of an 1199SEIU Training Fund program that prepares members to take the GED test for a high school diploma. He hopes to pass the test this summer and go on to college.
“As a student, I do a lot of research,” says Figueroa. “This is my first computer, and it will definitely help me in my career.”
Things have been looking up for Figueroa ever since the day 18 months ago when he was arrested on a marijuana charge. He completed a year-long rehab program, got serious about his GED, and developed long-range plans to help the Norwood community in the Bronx where he grew up.
“I’m a Christian, and I’ve begun a new life. I want to get a degree in marketing and use it to help educate young people about negative things like drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. I’ve been selfish in the past, and now it’s time for me to give back as much as I can. I’m very grateful to 1199 for helping me in this direction.”
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